Freedom Of Speech Is Not Equally Free

Most obviously there is a line between free speech and discrimination, free speech and bullying, free speech and defamation, free speech and religious intolerance ect. No matter the law or the right there is always certain restriction that are imposed to keep tolerance exercising in a conflicted society

Although we, as citizens of this country, are guaranteed freedom of speech and press by the first amendment, we are encouraged to “watch what we say”. In order to avoid unnecessary violence and to keep people from being offended, it is recommended the certain things be censored. While many may look at this censorship as a well-needed percussion it can reversely be seen as going against one's first amendment rights, in itself causing controversy.

Censorship has been a big topic in America since the birth of its modern government. There are things that go on around the world that the media would never show its American viewers. This has also been seen in places like the military, where if a soldier were to send a letter back home, he or she can not disclose information such as their location. While it is a way to protect the American people from potential threats, it also restricts our freedom of speech. Everyone has the right to speak his or her mind; whether you agree with an idea or not is always a conscious choice. An

All you ever hear about in the news lately is people getting in trouble for speech. Many Americans embrace freedom of speech for the same reasons they embrace other aspects of individualism. Freedom of speech is the right to defiantly, robustly and irreverently speak one's mind just because it is one's mind. Freedom of speech is thus bonded in special and unique ways to the human capacity to think, imagine and create. Conscience and consciousness are the sacred precincts of mind and soul. Freedom of speech is intimately linked to freedom of thought, to that central capacity to reason and wonder, hope and believe, that largely defines our humanity (Smolla).

Censorship has evolved over time in America, from TV, books, and even the internet. America has prohibited specific things from citizen’s beliefs. The role that censorship plays in America is taken from personal beliefs, such as voting for certain things to be banned from books, TV, internet, and articles. This allows and denies things that are used for public use, due to personal preferences on things that are appropriate and inappropriate for public users.

That applies greatly to the freedoms of expression guaranteed to us by the Bill of Rights as well. Over the years, court cases have specified what Madison meant when he wrote that citizens would have freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly. We all follow the same basic restrictions on freedom of expression which fall into the three categories of time, place, and manner. When looking into the potential limits of freedom of expression, you must understand the cause and effects of the people using those rights on the people as a whole. In Abrams v. United States, the defendants threw leaflets out the window that contained material that were said to be against the U.S.’s actions to impede the Russian Revolution. The court found them guilty for resisting the war effort and calling for the curtailment of war products. Was this a violation of the defendant’s right to freedom of speech? No, this was not a violation of the first amendment to freedom of speech because it was claimed that there was a call for violent action or a riot during a fragile time in the U.S. Although cases in which freedom of speech are discussed are often highly controversial, it is only because of the importance of both the freedom of speech as well as the limits on freedom of

Is there ever a time that Americans take their freedom of speech too far? For many years, Americans have gotten more lenient on how loosely they interpret the First Amendment. In the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment clearly states, “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech”, but that does not mean people can say anything without being prosecuted. Although there are times the government may be too harsh on restricting free speech, Americans can be prosecuted for crossing the bounds of their free speech because, after all, it is our right to speak especially of serious matters and news, not every single opinion or thought we have; telling someone to kill himself or threatening the President's life is crossing the line, but most importantly, all citizens need to know their rights in order to know what they can or cannot say.

Freedom of speech is part of the first amendment which states, “You are free to say almost anything except that which is obscene, slanders another person, or has a high probability of inciting

In the United States freedom of expression is not equally free because there are laws that are enacted to suppress expression. Any expression that harms national security or incites violence is prohibited by law. The government can place a restriction on the time, place, and manner of speech. The government does not like dissent. The law on freedom of speech is not absolute.

Many people have gone to court questioning exactly what freedom of speech means, and through these cases, it’s been made clear that this freedom does not exist in all situations. For example, you cannot say something that would put people in danger or create disorder. A common example of this being yelling fire in a movie theater, but it also includes things like destroying draft cards and making public private material. Another point is that, although the government might not punish you for saying certain things, other people may have the right to. For instance, if a school tells you not to say something, and you do, the school has full right to discipline or expell

In the United States, the First Amendment grants citizens Freedom of Speech. It is one of our most basic rights as human beings which is why the Founding Fathers saw it fit to put it in the very first amendment of the Constitution. However, people often take their rights to the extreme and sometimes even too far. Just because someone has the right to say something, it does not mean they necessarily should. Freely sharing opinions is a good thing, but not if it prevents others from gaining their own personal and true opinion as is

I know free speech is a touchy topic with arguments detailing many issues relating to speech, but, there have been problems with both sides. To my knowledge, free speech is an essential part of most democratic countries, outlining what speech is okay. Freedom of speech being important to the safety of citizens and helping to protect their rights. Although freedom of speech

Freedom of speech, Barendt (2005) mentioned, is one of the basic rights of any human being. The entitlement to express one’s opinion and view on anything without the fear of being harassed or penalized by the authority is ensured by this act. For many centuries common people were denied this right. Even now many countries prohibit its citizens to practice this fundamental right. USA is one of the countries, which is known for being vocal about civil rights and freedom. Therefore it is no wonder that the country’s constitution has given special attention to Freedom of speech. Freedom of expression and freedom of rights are uttered under same breath. They have subtle differences. The broad definition of right of speech allows an individual to communicate any idea, the medium being his/her body and property to whoever is interested. Freedom of expression additionally includes receiving, passing on and searching for information through any medium. The first amendment shields the freedom of speech right of the American citizens. Although there are several clauses to this practice, yet USA is one of the countries, which have provided its people with the freedom to put forward their

Freedom of Speech includes but is not limited to the right “not to speak,” specifically, the right not to salute the flag, West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943); the right of students to wear black armbands to school to protest war, Tinker v. Des Moines, 393 U.S. 503 (1969); and the right to engage

The government can however reprimand a person for misuse of their right to freedom of speech. Freedom of expression is also grated by the constitution by there are laws prohibiting indecent exposure. This law places limits on the freedom of expression. The government has decided that people are allowed to express themselves however they see fit with in the guideline the laws have set for the citizens. If I person chooses to express themselves outside the set boundaries they will have to pay the consequences.